Harry Potter and the Black Lake
by MattTheFrenchie
Summary: Something is not right about Hogwarts this year. Suddenly there is a strict rule of no water and the lake is heavily guarded. Handprints appear on Harry's wrist almost every night. Even Dumbledore won't tell Harry what is going on. Based on Fifth year.


**A/N: **Thanks for choosing to read my story.

THIS CHAPTER IS RATED K+ due to:

-very minor language

-.-

-_Les Créatures de L'eau-_

"Don't forget to study for your exams this time, Fred," Molly Weasley said sternly to her son before kissing him on the cheek goodbye. His brother George, on the hand, decided to mess with his mother's brain for a minute before he left.

George cried, "Mum, I'm Fred!"

"Ah, no, I am!" Fred said with a fake frown at his brother. He turned to his mother and said, "Wait, am I George?"

"I don't know, maybe we should show mum or tattoos of our names—" George replied with a grin.

Mrs. Weasley roared, "_You have tattoos_?"

"Kidding, mum!" George chuckled as he hugged his mother goodbye, who was too shocked to even hug her son back.

Harry Potter smiled and turned to his friend Ronald Weasley. "Your mum must have the paradise of a lifetime when your brothers are at Hogwarts," Harry chuckled.

Ron replied, "Not really. Then she has to do more work—de-gnoming, gardening, and washing the dishes. It's not very fun when we return for the holidays." A very familiar girl with bushy brown hair and bigger-than-normal front teeth approached them.

"Hello Harry, Ron," Hermione greeted, setting Crookshanks down on the ground where he rubbed against Ron's legs affectionately, "How was your guys' summer?"

Harry said dryly, "Oh, it was the blast of a lifetime. I was attacked by dementors and was sent to court because I was defending my cousin and myself. Plus, I stayed with my favorite family…_the Dursleys._" Hermione frowned slightly.

Hermione sighed, "Sorry I couldn't make it to Sirius's house. My family stayed in France longer than what we had thought. How was your summer, Ron? Ron…RON?" Hermione finally got his attention after screaming out the last word. Ron was too busy gazing at a witch who had to be at least half-veela.

"What?" Ron asked dreamily, and then got back to reality, "oh, my summer! Yeah, it was good." Hermione rolled her eyes. Steam suddenly blew out of the train and that meant it was one minute until they left.

Molly Weasley embraced Harry before he left, and the trio of friends gathered their stuff and aboard the scarlet train. As soon as Fred and George got on the train, the whistle blew once more and the train started to move. The trio picked an empty compartment and sat.

"This year should be different, and hopefully better," Hermione said happily, letting Crookshanks settle on her lap, "maybe Professor Umbridge will be nice and will last more than a year."

Harry replied sadly, "Well, she's a bi—"

"Harry!" Hermione snapped.

Harry replied angrily, "Well, she is! She was at the hearing and she gave Dumbledore and me negative reviews. I know I won't get along with her this year." Hermione crossed her arms and shook her head in disappointment.

Ron said, "She probably won't like me. I'm not that good in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Thinking negatively results in a negative reaction," Hermione muttered, opening an abnormally large book, "think positive, and it has a better chance on happening." Harry and Ron looked at her in a weird manor. She asked, "What?"

Ron asked, "Where did you get that?"

"Well, a Muggle physiatrist found out after doing an experiment—" Hermione began.

Ron replied, "No, no, no. Where did you get that bloody enormous book?"

Hermione replied, "I got it in a wizard shop in France. It's called _Les Créatures de L'eau._ It's a book about underwater plants and animals. I might let Neville borrow it because it mentions a lot of plants and herbs."

Harry asked curiously, "How can you read it, though? It's written in French."

"I bewitched the book so the words switched to English words," Hermione said simply.

Ron replied, "Bloody Hell! Where did you learn that type of magic?" Hermione was frustrated since she was kept from reading and slammed the book shut.

"Maybe if you would pay more attention in Charms," Hermione said through gritted teeth, "you would know more spells other than a simple Banishing Charm!" Their compartment doors opened and the elderly goodie trolley woman stood at the doorway with a cart full of various candies.

She croaked, "Would any of you like something to eat, my dears?"

"I'll have a Licorice Wand," Ron ordered, giving her five Knuts.

Harry said, "I'll have two Chocolate Frogs and a packet of Droobles." He gave her the money and went back to his seat, and Hermione approached the woman.

"Do you just have water?" Hermione asked politely.

The woman looked at Hermione with cold, grey eyes. She stared at Hermione for a series of long, dreadful moments until she said harshly, "We do not have water, my _dear._" The trolley lady walked away, leaving Hermione shaking in her spot.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron asked, halfway done with his licorice wand. Hermione didn't respond. The cold, grey eyes were etched in her mind.

Harry said loudly, "Hermione! Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes," Hermione replied shakily, returning to her seat.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, holding only an inch left of the licorice wand.

Hermione sighed, "N-Nothing really. Well…that trolley lady gave me a fright."

"Yeah, she did seem a bit strange," Harry replied, opening a chocolate frog, "here, have this. Chocolate always helps." Hermione ate a bit of the chocolate frog, yet she was still shaken.

Hermione whispered, "Isn't it a bit strange?"

"What's strange?" Ron replied, eating the last of his wand.

Hermione said, "I've always had water on this train, and suddenly they don't. That woman looked as though she was…never mind. It's getting dark. We'll be at Hogwarts soon." Harry and Ron glanced at each other as Hermione left the compartment to change.

"Attention," the speaker called in their room, "we will be arriving at Hogwarts in about ten minutes. Repeat, we will be there in about ten minutes. Thank you."


End file.
